Hey, my horse Breago might go blind. Because of his rare problem with his eye. He is 11 now, and has been living with it since he was born! Breago was my very first horse, he is a Tennessee Walker. I've been to many shows with him. If he does go blind, the pain will not go away. We'll have to put him down, or remove the eye and put him in a pasture. One that he knows where everything is. I am just very worried...Please keep him in your prayers. His problem is called: Moon Blindness. It's a very rare disease. Mostly found in appys. About Moon Blindness:
ERU is sometimes called periodic ophthalmia or moonblindness, since it was thought at one time that the cycle of the moon might trigger the attacks of this eye problem.
Early signs may include excessive tear production, holding the eye shut or partially shut and rubbing of the eye. With a more severe inflammation, the horse will hold the eye tightly shut, avoid light, and the cornea will be cloudy/whitish. A vet exam will show inflammation of the inner structures in the eye, and corneal ulcers may develop.
Individual horses vary a great deal in how severe their attacks are, but in general the attacks do tend to become progressively worse each time. Some horses will go months between attacks of eye inflammation, while others will go weeks. Still others never really have the inflammation under good control. None of the currently used treatments can cure this condition, but they may control the inflammation and slow the progression.
The current thinking is that ERU begins as an infection, usually with a Leptospira organism. Parasite larvae of the Onchocerca family have also been implicated, but the odds of this happening have dropped considerably since widespread use of ivermectin as a dewormer. (Ivermectin kills these larvae.)
In humans, similar eye problems may develop after infection with the Lyme disease organism or other bacteria. How often this might happen with horses is unknown, but horses that dont test positive for Leptospira might have another organism involved. Another theory holds that a severe eye injury may also start the ERU process.
Antibodies to Leptospira have been found both in the blood and inside the eyes of horses with ERU. Sophisticated testing has been able to confirm that immune-system tissue inside the eyes is actually producing these antibodies, so the organism has definitely been in there. There is considerable debate, though, as to whether horses with ERU still have an active infection. We do know they have antibodies in their eyes that are directed against both the organism and the eye tissue itself (an autoimmune reaction).
***UPDATES SOON***
Pictures:
Breago ♥♥♥
<<<His old self
ERU is sometimes called periodic ophthalmia or moonblindness, since it was thought at one time that the cycle of the moon might trigger the attacks of this eye problem.
Early signs may include excessive tear production, holding the eye shut or partially shut and rubbing of the eye. With a more severe inflammation, the horse will hold the eye tightly shut, avoid light, and the cornea will be cloudy/whitish. A vet exam will show inflammation of the inner structures in the eye, and corneal ulcers may develop.
Individual horses vary a great deal in how severe their attacks are, but in general the attacks do tend to become progressively worse each time. Some horses will go months between attacks of eye inflammation, while others will go weeks. Still others never really have the inflammation under good control. None of the currently used treatments can cure this condition, but they may control the inflammation and slow the progression.
The current thinking is that ERU begins as an infection, usually with a Leptospira organism. Parasite larvae of the Onchocerca family have also been implicated, but the odds of this happening have dropped considerably since widespread use of ivermectin as a dewormer. (Ivermectin kills these larvae.)
In humans, similar eye problems may develop after infection with the Lyme disease organism or other bacteria. How often this might happen with horses is unknown, but horses that dont test positive for Leptospira might have another organism involved. Another theory holds that a severe eye injury may also start the ERU process.
Antibodies to Leptospira have been found both in the blood and inside the eyes of horses with ERU. Sophisticated testing has been able to confirm that immune-system tissue inside the eyes is actually producing these antibodies, so the organism has definitely been in there. There is considerable debate, though, as to whether horses with ERU still have an active infection. We do know they have antibodies in their eyes that are directed against both the organism and the eye tissue itself (an autoimmune reaction).
***UPDATES SOON***
Pictures:
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